Sunny Knight: a Pony's Tale

by TheothersideofSunny968

Connecting Hearts

All the apples had gathered in the living room of the farm house, all gathering around, ready to listen to WoodRose's tale. Sunny has just walked in, levitating slices of freshly baked apple pie, and began distributing the slices as he nodded for Woodrose to go ahead to start.

"My father had told me the story 1000 times, but I loved hearing it every time he told it" Rosewood admitted, beginning her origin story in front today her new family "It all began one night many, many, many years ago…

My father had settled down deep in a forest that no pony seemed to wander into due to its density. But that gave my father quiet solitude and plenty of material to use for his work. After setting up a shop and gathering all he needed, my father went right to work on simple things at first; chairs, benches, tables, and the like. All things ponies would need. He worked with a couple from a near by town who owned a general store. They would give him a list of things ponies requested and he'd go right to work on it. It wasn't the highest paying job, but my father loved it. He always told me that when you do a job you love, you never work a day in your life. But as close as my father was with the couple from the general store, and despite making friends with many travelers who would be brave enough to venture into his woods, my father still felt lonely. One day, he got the brilliant, or possibly crazy idea to 'make' a pony.

He picked the strongest but light weight wood material he had, the most realistic fake hair he had left over from previous projects, and went right to work. For anypony else, the project would have taken a few weeks to complete the project, but as the sun set on that day, my father took a step back and looked upon his work with gleaming pride. It was a giant wooden pony like puppet, just barely older then a filly. She would be like a daughter to him, he thought, and listen to all his crazy new ideas, ask him to make her toys, remind him to eat and rest. Maybe even one day he's make her a few siblings. Happy as he could be with his work, my father took his creation outside to stargaze, a passtime he had grown fond of and couldn't wait to share with his newest creation. Looking up at the stars, my father pointed out various constellations and told stories of their origin. As he was in the middle of the story of King Orion, he noticed something in the night sky, something very special.

Shooting across the night sky was a shooting star. It had been so long since my father did something as silly and childish as wish upon a shooting star, but he was in a cheerful mood and spoke with his creation, telling it about how special it was to see one and how magical it was. To demonstrate, my father closed his eyes and made his wish to the star. I have a pretty good guess on what it was he wished for, but he never told me. Just then, the star changed direction and crash landed not far from where my father lay on the grass with his creation. Mezmorized and curious, my father went to investigate the phenomenon. When he arrived at the crater, my father looked down to see a bright glowing light held within what looked to be a gem stone.

What happened next, my father described as his body reacting as if it was what he was meant to do, even if he had no idea what he was done by at the time. It was as if the star that had landed was feeding him telepathic instructions. My father crawled down into the crater and retrieved the glowing gem, which barely fit in the palm of his hoof. He then rushed over to his creation with the star, paused, looked from the stone to the puppet and back. Before he did anything else, he kissed the stone, saying it felt warm and pulsing, then pressed the stone to the chest of the pony sized puppet.

Immediately the stone reacted and murged into the cheast of the puppet! A bright light shot through the puppet's wooden body, light breaking through each crevice and crack, it's libs shook and shivered,then the whole puppet seemed to take to the sky, floating suspended in the air several feet above the ground for several long moments. All the while, my father watched in awe wondering what he had done, wondering why exactly he had done it and wondering what would happen next.

Slowly, the puppet floated down to the ground, with the glowing light retreating back to the stone in it's chest. My father moved to catch the puppet in his hooves, without any hints of fear in his heart. It landed gently in his hooves, new eye lids on it's face began to flickered open. Then a pair of light blue eyes met his, and a smile broke out across it's wooden muzzle as it smiled and whispered one word. "Daddy".

My father burst into tears as he pulled his creation, his daughter, in close to him and whispered back "Happy birthday, my child. From here on out, your name will be Rosewood..."

Yes, that puppet was me. My body made of Equestria's trees, and my heart, the fallen star that breathed life into me, a gift from the heavens above, on that day, I was born.

My father, Widdler as you all know him, taught me everything I knew back then, just like if I was his own flesh and blood daughter. Other then how to do laundry, clean and maintain my wooden puppet body, how to repair most things, as well as clean around the house, my father also taught me how to work with wood other then my own body. He taught me about the wide array of tools he and others use for the various techniques of shaping, carving, designing and so on. I watched him and learned all there was to learn about wood work. Every day, though, he would tell me that the greatest thing he ever created was me. It made me so happy to hear that…

One day, several years later, as I was working on a dollhouse somepony ordered from the general store, my father rushed into the workshop and told me that he had to go away for a while. He said nothing was wrong, but that he needed to go right away. He told me he needed me to be strong, to be safe, and one day he would come back. He said that Solggiato needed his help and that a friend of his would take him to Solggiato. Some brown earth pony with a big blue box. I thought my father had lost it for a moment, but then I watched the blue box he hopped into disappear right before my eyes. I'll never forget the sound it made as the light on the top of it began to flickered slowly, the scratching echo of the machine inside seemed to be the only sound in the entire forest. A wide array of emotions filled my heart as I stood there, staring at the spot the blue box was, where it took my father away from me…

Over the years I continued my father's work, completing, repairing and adjusting various wooden pieces through the general store. But the store expanded and the original shop owners who knew me through my father, had grown old and returned, leaving the shop to their daughter and her husband. The original owners were kind to me because they knew my.father, but their daughter and her husband… tried their best to ignore how different I was. Through the years ownership of the store had changed hooves several times, and with each time, the new owners grew more and more deteatful of me and my hoof in their business, despite the quality of my work. At first the payment I received was cut due to 'supply and demand being at an all time low' but my work load had hardly changed. Then one day I received a letter stating that my services would no longer be required. Letting me know through a letter of all things was low and cowardly, but remembering the looks on their frightened faces, I could understand why they were afraid.

Father had told me when I was younger that I was special, not like other ponies, and that not all ponies would understand and see my uniqueness as beautiful. But those who did, I should cherish them as friends. Sadly, I never met such ponies. And after my income from the store had stopped, I decided to take my work on the road. After loading up a large cart I had spent a year and a half working on, I left a letter to explain what had happened should my father return, closed up shop, then I set out to find a new place to continue my trade, and hopefully make some friends to fill my lonely life. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I had to try.

I ventured to many places, busy Cities like Manehatten and Los Pegasus, smaller towns like Vanhoofer, and smaller towns then that that didn't even have names. Everywhere I went I learned that ponies were afraid of me. They didn't know what to think and avoided me. I wouldn't set up shop anywhere if every pony was going to keep their distance. Eventually I set up shop by a train station, keeping my image hidden under a black cloak and hood. Ponies were initially scared of me, but when I spoke up, the sweet serenity of my voice reassured them that I was not dangerous. Gradually I began to pick up business. I didn't really need bits for food or anything, I ate very little. And maintanance of my own body hardly required three bits a month, but I liked to think that when I met up with my father once more I would be able to treat him and I to a long vacation, maybe a Cruze or something. He always worked so hard, I want that for him and I.

One day as I was working, I overheard some older mare talking about how she saw something like a pony made of wood running around her guarden, smashing all her crops the previous night. Curious to see if more of my kind existed, I decided to investigate. What I found was a pony puppet come to life indeed, but unlike myself, this creature was wild, feral, and unwilling to hear me out. It fought me for a bit but I was able to overpower it. I didn't want to hurt it too badly, so I locked it up in a metal cage and hitched it up to my cart. The creature wouldn't stay still and made noise loud enough to wake the entire town. I knew then I had to hide it somewhere safe until I could figure out what was going on with it. Then I came across another that appeared to be trying to free the first. I captured that one easier then the first and threw it in the cage as well.

There were more of these things out there, and somepony was making them and bringing them to life. The symbol on one of them was my father's own isignia and cutie mark, so I knew at least one of them was genuinely his. I couldn't let his work be blamed for such havoc, and I took it upon myself to hunt these things down and capture them, hoping to find some clues to their origin along the way. And that's when I heard of a yellow unicorn from ponyville who used one in a show on nightmare night…"

Later that night, after everypony went to bed, Sunny looked in on Rosewood, who had been lucked in on the couch for the time being. No pony knew how long the living pony puppet would stay, but plans were being made to make some space for her in the farm house. For now, through, the couch would have to do. Applejack offered up her bed as a way to help make amends for her behavior, but Rosewood refused, saying the couch was more then fine.

It had warmed Sunny's heart to see Rosewood getting along with the Apples so well. 'you've raised a fine daughter, Widdler. Maybe you can join us again one day, when you are done doing whatever you are doing with Doctor…'

Standing before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would intimidate anypony. Their royal status, the way they carried themselves with such athority, but to somepony like Alister who had gone through much more frightening things, they were more like his bosses weather then the rulers of all Equestria. He respected them and looked to them for guidance and wisdom, but fear was little to no factor for him. Even after reverting to Charming Knightmare once more and serving King Sombra, even going out of his way to make trouble for Princess Celestia's faithful student and her group of friends, Alister only felt at peace to be back to his normal state of being. When he was well enough to leave the emergency wing of the Canterlot hospital, the Princesses had him escorted directly to their thrown room to debrief him personally.

"Your report on your time serving King Sombra was very informative, Alister" Luna spoke first after hearing Alister's full explanation. "It will help to stop anything he has planned for the future."

"I only wish I could have been of more help, your majasties" Alister spoke the truth, his eyes revealing his exhaustion from the whole experience though. But despite his lack of energy, he would still March for days on end should the princesses wish it.

"You have done well, given the circumstances" Celestia spoke up for the second time during the whole report. It was obvious to Alister that Celestia's concerns were on very specific elements of his report, but also knew that Luna was having it all documented, should her older sister wish to review it at a later time.

"Yes, speaking from experience" Luna chimmed in "we know that sometimes our darker aides, our hidden emotions, take hold and we don't act like ourselves. We hope you don't blame yourself too much. Especially with the curupting power of the alicorn amulet working against you."

"Thank you, princess Luna" Alister bowed his head. "If there is nothing else, I wish to take a short leave from work to rest and recoperate."

This request shocked both princesses. It had always been difficult to get Alister to take time off in the past, but here he was asking for it himself, in person. Both princesses looked to each other in a moment of his belief as if asking each other with their eyes 'is he serious? Is Alister really asking for time off?'

Turning back to the royal guard, Celestia spoke up. "Your request is granted. However, there is one more thing we need to speak of. Alone."

With that, the other guards present left the room, leaving only the two sisters, Alister, and Kibits (who had been writing down every word up until now.). Alister knew what princess Celestia was going to ask of him, and he was more then willing to comply…

Later, after enjoying a hardy meal at the royal guard mess hall, Alister casually strolled beyond the castle walls, taking in the natural beauty of the world around him that he seemed to take for granted and ignored for all his life. He never noticed the wonderful smells eminating from the gardens both in and around the castle, the clear blue skies above, the sights of Canterlot's city and all it's busy enhabitants. It was truely a work of art. He thought about how different it was then his own home town that he grew up in. He heard recently that it had changed it's name after expanding near Buffalo territory. Appaloosa, I think they we're calling it now. He would have to take a trip down there. It had been a long time since he saw his parents, perhaps this would be a good time to visit.

Just then, as if by fate's hoof, Alister saw two very familiar faces on patrol near the castle wall, between the castle and the busy streets and shops surrounding it. Midnight Blossom and Cloud Skipper seemed to be casually talking, then Cloud stopped when he saw Alister. Midnight followed his gaze and shock soon overtook her face as well. Alister casually walked up to them, and when he reached his fellow guards, he did something neither of them thought he was capable of.

He hugged them.

He wrapped his hooves abound both of them and pulled them closer to him. No pony said anything for the longest time. Both of Alister's friends had been concerned when he disaeared and did everything they could to try and find him. When they heard he had been taken to Canterlot hospital, they had visited him as often as they could.

After embrasing and releasing his best friends, Alister looked them both in the eye and told them "thank you both, for everything. For being there for me, for supporting me, for watching my back, and for being my friends."

"Ugh... You ok Alister?" Midnight asked, raising a brow at the grey unicorn.

"Did the three ghosts of Hearths Warming visit you in the hospital?" Cloud Skipper joked with his pal.

"No… not exactly three ghosts" Alister smiled. "But a certain prince did. He got to me, and I realized everything I had taken for granted. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll let you to get back to work, and I have one more pony to see."

After saluting both his commrads, Alister galloped as fast as his legs could carry him to a certain district in Canterlot where he knew an old friend normally hung out….

The cafe was slow at this time, as it is everyday between the lunch and dinner rush. A certain ex-royal guard found this the perftect time to sit down and enjoy a warm cup of coffee before he set out on a day trip back to his home town. The silance and solitude allowed him to sit and reflect on things without anypony interrupting him. Everypony need time in the day like that.

The bell to the Cafe's door rang as a customer walked in, drawing Heart Patch's attention to the door. He couldn't believe his eyes, though. 'that can be him… can it!?'

Stairing back at the flightless Pegasus was none other then Alister, his best friend that he made back in the royal guard so long ago. So many years have passed since the Charming Knightmare incident, but he hadn't been his friend once since then. Heart knew why; the guilt of what Alister did to him when he was Charming Knightmare was too much for the unicorn to face. But Heart had always wished that Alister would come around. And as if having made a wish on a falling star, his wish magically came true.

Not saying another word, Alister casually walked over to his old friend, never breaking eye contact, and sat down in Heart's booth, right across from him. The room was so still and so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Seconds streatched into hours as the two stallions merely studied one another.

Right when Alister was about to say something, the waitress walked by and asked "what can I get for ya, sweetie?"

"I'll have what he's having" Allister said immediatly, knowing Heart had black coffee to which he couldn't stomach, but didn't really care at the moment.

After the waitress left to go get Alister's order, the two stallion sat there, quiet, for what seemed like hours, somewhat avoiding the other's gaze while trying to find the right words to say. It had been so long since Alister last saw Heart Patch, let alone spoke to him. He had avoided his former brother in arms ever since the accident where he first became Charming Knightmare, the guilt collapsing him from the inside about Heart's wings. And from the looks of it, Alister could tell Heart still couldn't fly. If he hadn't regained the ability by now, it was likely he would never fly again. The guilt began to return, but Alister was refusing to give in.

'Not this time' he through to himself as he bit his lip. 'I won't run away or blame myself as an excuse for not talking to him. It's not fair to him and it's cowardly. Heart deserves better then that... I owe him that much...'

"It's... Been a long time…" Alister stated, shattering the silent stillness between him and Heart Patch.

"Yeah, it has…" Heart was caught off guard by Alister's words.

"You… you've looked better" Alister tried to joke. "What's the matter? Had another brawl with the Griffinstone Sluggers? Shouldn't a royal guard know better then to pick a fight, even with troublesome gangs?"

"'Former' royal guard" Heart corrected his friend, unable to stop himself as he did so.

Alister quickly realized his mistake and sunk back a little in his seat. 'Good job, wiz kid. One of the smartest ponies in all the magical research and developments department and you still manage to fumble over the simplest things like small talk!'

"Besides, those guys still remember me from the last time we brawled. I left those Bozo's with nightmares the last time I had to remind them to play nice" Heart cracked a smile, small and cautious, not wanting to come off too strong at first. He didn't want to frightened off his old friend, not after waiting for so long to meet up again.

Shaking his head and producing a half smile, Alister chuckled lightly as a cup of hot black coffee was put in front of him. "Same old Heart Patch. Solving problems with your hooves not your head."

"Same old Ch, er, Alister" Heart caught himself, remembering the name change after that dark day. "Always thinking his brain is the strongest muscle a pony could have."

"Actually, the tongue is" Alister then stuck his tongue out at Heart, catching the white Pegasus off guard with the factual joke.

The two shared a light hearted laugh for a moment as other ponies entered the diner. Once they stopped, the awkward siltance resumed. But Alister didn't come to the diner to sit and be quiet like a foal in time out.

"Heart" the grey unicorn started "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. About everything…"

"It's ok" Heart replied immediately, knowing exactly how this conversation would go, having played it out in his head a million times, which sounded more like something Alister himself would have done.

"It's not ok" Alister started up. "If I had listened to you in the first place, none of this would have happened! I would be of stable mind, you would still he in the royal guard, and your wings…"

Heart looked down at his wings and flexted them a little, knowing that they wouldn't be able to move much, then turned his attention back to his friend. "Stuff happened, Alister. There's nothing you can do about it now. Well, except stop avoiding me like I have the pony flu."

The waitress came back and dropped off Alister's coffee, then quickly left the two to resume their private conversation.

"I know there's a way" Alister started to say. "I've read countless ways ponies hundreads of years ago attempted to fix broken or even missing wings. I know I can find a way to help you…"

Heart couldn't help but smile and shake his head lightly. He knew Alister wouldn't let it go, even if he was already at peace with himself. "Fine. I'll do what I can to help you, under two conditions."

"You don't have to help me" Alister started to say. But then a friendly voice rang in his ear and reminded him what great things can come from ponies working together. "But… but I would be honored if you did."

Today was definitely a day full of surprises; Alister accepting help? And not being ordered to? Shaking off his awe, Heart continued. "One; you keep me informed every step of the way. No more late night stuff with you sneaking back into your or anypony's lab, study, or library. And Two; you take some time off first to come back with me to my home town. There're having a chili festival and I know you'd have fun.

"What do you say, Alister?" Heart smiled and extended his hoof.

Reaching out and shaking his hoof, the grey unciorn guard smiled back and replied "Sounds like a deal. But Heart, call me Charming. Charming Knight…"

Author's Note:

I'd like to give a big shout out once again to my good friend Brandon, who's OC Heart Patch, really helped to develop Alister/Charming Knight's story. To be honest with you loyal readers, that whole back story was based of an RP Brandon and I had way back when.

I'd like to also thank you all for reading, it means a lot to me.

The next couple of chapters I've been waiting for for a long time, the grand Galloping gala!!!